This census is the fourth enumeration of state adult
correctional institutions and the first of federal institutions
sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and conducted by the
Bureau of the Census. Earlier censuses were completed in 1974 (ICPSR
7811), 1979 (ICPSR 7852), and 1984 (ICPSR 8444). Separate
questionnaires were devised for confinement facilities and for
community-based facilities. Variables describing the facilities
include physical security, age, functions, capacity, confineme... (more info)

This census is the fourth enumeration of state adult
correctional institutions and the first of federal institutions
sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and conducted by the
Bureau of the Census. Earlier censuses were completed in 1974 (ICPSR
7811), 1979 (ICPSR 7852), and 1984 (ICPSR 8444). Separate
questionnaires were devised for confinement facilities and for
community-based facilities. Variables describing the facilities
include physical security, age, functions, capacity, confinement
space, available medical facilities, programs, inmate/resident work
assignments, staff employment, facilities under court order/consent
decree for conditions of confinement, capital and operating
expenditures, custody level of inmates/residents, one-day count and
average daily population, race/ethnicity of inmates/residents,
inmate/resident deaths, special inmate/resident counts, and assaults
and incidents by inmates. An addendum on drug control activities in
state and federal facilities was included for the first time in the
1990 census. Facilities were asked to provide information on the
following: procedures used with inmates/residents, visitors, and staff
to keep out illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia, inmate/resident
drug-testing practices, including the criteria for testing
inmates/residents, the number of inmates/residents tested in total and
by specific drug, and the number that tested positive, staff drug
testing, including groups and basis for testing, number tested, and
procedures when tests were positive, and capacity and enrollment in
various types of drug treatment and intervention programs.

Dataset(s)

Study Description

Citation

United States Department of Justice. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Census of State and Federal Adult Correctional Facilities, 1990 . ICPSR09908-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2001. http://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09908.v2

Universe:
The facility universe was developed from the Census of
State Adult Correctional Facilities conducted in 1984. This list was
revised using the 1990 American Correctional Association Directory and
information obtained from state correctional administrators and the
Federal Bureau of Prisons. The census included prisons, prison farms,
reception, diagnostic, and classification centers, road camps,
forestry and conservation camps, youthful offender facilities (except
in California), vocational training facilities, correctional drug and
alcohol treatment facilities, and state-operated local detention
facilities in Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Rhode Island, and
Vermont.

Data Types:
survey data

Data Collection Notes:

When all prisons in the census did not provide data on
particular variables, estimated figures were used where indicated.
Total figures were estimated by multiplying the known or reported
numbers by the ratio of the total relevant population to the reported
population. All figures were estimated independently and total
estimates were therefore larger than the sum of all subgroup
estimates. The total population figure used in the projections
varied, depending upon which figure was most appropriate. The two
available population figures are the average daily population and the
prison count on the reference day for the census--June 29, 1990. For
drug testing, the basis for estimation was the average daily
population, and for drug treatment capacity and enrollment, the basis
was the one-day count. (2) The codebook is provided by ICPSR as a
Portable Document Format (PDF) file. The PDF file format was
developed by Adobe Systems Incorporated and can be accessed using PDF
reader software, such as the Adobe Acrobat Reader. Information on how
to obtain a copy of the Acrobat Reader is provided on the ICPSR Web
site.

Methodology

Sample:
Data were collected from 957 state prison facilities, 250
state community-based facilities, and 80 federal prisons operating on
June 29, 1990.

Data Source:

self-enumerated questionnaires

Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of
disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major
statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to
these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:

Performed consistency checks.

Standardized missing values.

Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.

Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.

Version(s)

Original ICPSR Release:1993-10-31

Version History:

2001-12-21 The SPSS data definition statements were edited to
include a file handle statement, and the codebook was converted to
Portable Document Format (PDF).